The Best Birthday Ever!
by Katize Luka
Summary: What starts as a horribles experience turns into one of the happiest days of their lives. Oneshot. Not romantic.


The Best Birthday Ever

* * *

What starts as a horribles experience turns into one of the happiest days of their lives. Oneshot. Not romantic.

* * *

(Rin's POV)

"Rin!"

I look up from my math homework at my twin brother. He smiles at me and leans over my desk, both of his hands grasped behind his back. I stare at him, dumbfounded.

"Yes?" I ask, rather confused.

Len moves his hand from around from behind his back, revealing a small present wrapped in orange wrapping paper. "Happy birthday!"

"What?" I ask, still confused. I glance at the calendar over my desk and notice that it is, in fact, already the 27th. Strange. I don't even remember Christmas happening.

"Oh…" I reply. I turn back to him and flash a quick smile. "To you, too." I accept the present and put it on my desk before turning back to my homework.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Len asks. I look up at him, and he's frowning.

"Well, we have to open ours at the same time, don't we?" I ask. "And yours isn't ready yet, so I can't open mine yet."

"Oh." Len looks disappointed.

"Don't worry," I say, knowing I have to scramble for ideas here. "I'll start right away." I stand up and close my textbook, my mind reeling. "Step outside for a moment, won't you?"

"Can I go eat breakfast?"

"Yeah."

Len leaves the room, kindly closing the door behind him. I cross to the window and peer outside. The light dusting of snow that had fallen Christmas Eve was already gone, though the sky looked threatening.

Now, where was the present I had gotten him?

I run to our closet and open my side, pulling through my things. Nothing. I run to my dresser and pull through all the places Len would never search, and then in an act of desperation, the places he would check. Nothing. I scramble around the room, checking everything, still finding nothing… until I remember where I put it.

I jump up and leave the room, running downstairs to the dining room. Len is sitting beside Kaito, and they're laughing about something, Kaito still with milk and cereal in his mouth. Luka and Gakupo are rushing around the kitchen, and Gumi is sitting between Miku and Miki, looking absolutely miserable. Perfect.

"Ah! Rin, what do you want for breakfast?" Gakupo calls. Everybody looks up at me, Gumi with hope in her eyes.

"I'm not hungry right now," I reply, smiling politely.

Luka frowns and glances over her shoulder as she pours scrambled eggs onto a plate. "You need to eat, Rin, she replies, carrying the plate over to the table and placing it in front of Iroha. The pink-haired neck digs in, SeeU beside her staring greedily.

"I'll have an orange in a few minutes," I reply, thinking fast. Luka nods and returns to the kitchen.

I rush over to Gumi, who looks up at me curiously.

"Len's present," I whisper in her ear. Gumi's face makes a little "o" of surprise, and then nods, stuffing the rest of her pancake in her mouth. She stands up and passes the empty plate to Gakupo.

"Thanks for the food!" she calls as she drags me upstairs.

I feel eyes following us as we run upstairs, but ignore them. I have more important things to worry about.

Gumi leads me to her room and closes the door. After a moment's hesitation, she locks the door. Then she grabs my hand and pulls me over to her bed.

"Wait here," she says, and then ducks behind her bed. She appears a moment later, a small plastic bag in her hand. She tosses it to me, and I catch it. Gumi stands up, brushing her legs, and I open up the bag.

I smile at the present in the bag. "I need a box."

"Here," Gumi grabs something and hands it to me. I take it, studying it. It's a plain yellow box, a perfect size for Len's present. I open the box, and inside, there are blue and orange ribbons. Smiling, I take them out and place Len's present inside. He'll never guess what it is.

But then I remember what I said to Len._ 'It's not ready yet.' _

"Gumi…"

Her green eyes harden in concentration. "Um… well, remember how we all used to play scavenger hunts when we were little? You and Len-kun were really good at those, Rin, and always did well. You could do that."

"A scavenger hunt?"

She nods.

I smile. "You know? That's a great idea." I throw my arms around her. "Thanks."

* * *

(Len's POV)

"A scavenger hunt?"

Gumi nods.

"But…" I hesitate. Why is Rin's present to me a scavenger hunt? I didn't think I would have to _find_ my present.

"It's already set up," Gumi added. "I'm to show you where the first clue is, and then I will leave you to search by yourself."

"Um…"

"Come with me." She grabbed my wrist, pulling me off the couch and towards the stairwell. I glance back helplessly at Kaito, who winks and smiles.

"Here." The green-haired girl points to a piece of paper taped to the wall. Figuring Luka will be mad if I leave it, I take it down and read to myself.

_"One: I'm sometimes sweet, sometimes sour and sometimes bitter. My colour is like my name, and I make your heart all a-flitter."_

Rolling my eyes, I glance back up at Gumi, only to see she has disappeared. Knowing Rin as well as I do, I know exactly what it means. I turn towards the kitchen and enter, ducking in perfect timing with Kiyoteru's throwing food at my head and jumping over Gakupo as he trips and falls on his face. I approach the fruit ball and dig around until I find the last orange. Sure enough, there's a small piece of paper taped to thee peel.

_"Two: Four items, one yours and none mine, worn on your face in the story of time."_

I stare at the paper, dumbfounded, and slowly try to decipher it's meaning. So far, Rin was doing well with her hints, and the rhyming was well done. This might take longer than I originally thought.

_Four items_. What four items? And one of them belongs to me… who do the others belong to? _Worn on your face…_ like, a mask? _The story of time…_

It clicks. A mask, one of which belongs to me, none of which belong to Rin, that exists in the story of time. My mask for Master of the Heavenly Yard. Which is kept in the Evillious room. Which is downstairs, in the second basement.

"I have to go all the way down there?" I complain. Sighing, I turn and exit the kitchen, heading for the stairs. Only this time, I go down.

Down two flights of stairs, to the second basement. I turn on the light as I step down the final steps, just in time to see Miki and Piko sneak past me on their way upstairs, giggling. I stare after them, but they don't look back.

The second basement is basically like a museum, with a small living room at the bottom of the stairs, and then many large rooms leading into each other with costumes and props that we have used in music videos and things in the past. Evillious, being as complex as it is, currently has three separate rooms, the first being close to the front of the basement and the second and third side by side between the Crazy Night/Synchronicity* Room and the Circus* Room. The masks from Evillious are in the third room, meaning I have to cross all the way to the back of the basement. Of course, there are several empty rooms in the basement, as well as a third basement below us, and there's plenty of room left in the full rooms as well. So really, we won't have to worry about space for awhile yet.

I begin making my way through the rooms, reaching the first Evillious room quickly. Then I shoulder my way through the rest of them, until I reach the Circus room. I push through it, not looking around as I usually do and do the same in the second Evillious room. Then, when I enter the third room, I go straight to _Capriccio Farce_ area and duck behind Miku's pedestal. This is where we keep the masks.

I find mine quickly, and flipping it over, find a piece of paper taped to the back. This is too easy.

_ "Three: Two children hiding up in the trees, pretending to dance with princess bees. Below, people yelling at them to come down, but the children refuse to come near the ground."_

The hints are getting harder. I frown, and then picture the situation in my head. After clicking together a few pieces, I am on my way again.

* * *

The rest of the scavenger hunt flies by in a flash, and before I know it, I'm at hint 14. We are turning 15 this year, so it doesn't surprise me that there are at least 14 hints. I read the clue again, and think.

_"Fourteen: Where a mirror dwells, but the reflection is not the same. This is where the final piece is laid."_

I'm standing in the living room, where everybody except Rin and Gumi are gathered. They are all staring at me unhelpfully, which is making me feel very pressured, but I don't snap at them.

Suddenly, Gumi appears at the top of the stairs. She descends quickly and then pops onto the couch between Miki and Iroha, squishing both girls and everybody else on the couch.

I turn to face her, and Gumi smirks.

"She's waiting, Len. You better hurry up and decipher the clue."

"I take it I'm not allowed to ask for help," I reply.

"Nobody would help you if you asked," Gumi answers easily.

I turn to Kaito, who shrugs helplessly. "She's holding my ice cream hostage," he says.

I roll my eyes. Kaito and his weakness to ice cream.

Luka speaks up. "Len, isn't the whole point of a scavenger hunt to have fun figuring everything out for yourself? It's like with music. The fans don't like us as much if we don't at least help write our own music."

"Fans?" I am confused for a moment. Why would Luka bring up our fans? And then it clicks. The fans always think of Rin and I as mirror image, the same yet different. And where the mirror dwells… would be our bedroom.

I turn to the stairs and run up them as fast as I can and turn around the corner. I distantly hear Luka and Gumi arguing about something, but ignore them and weave towards my bedroom. I stop in front of the door and stare at the piece of paper taped to it. I pluck it off, open it and begin to read.

_Dear Len,_

_You are my dear brother, and you mean the world to me. I can't imagine being without you. You are my other half, my mirror image, and I wish you the happiest birthday in the world. I hope you enjoy your present. It isn't much, but I hope it means something to you._

_ Love,_

_ Your Twin Sister, Rin_

I smile at the card. It's surprising, actually, how sentimental it is. Rin is usually the kind of person who is to the point and doesn't care how it affects other people's feelings. I can't help but wonder if she actually wrote it, or if she got help from Miki and Gumi.

Pushing away my negative thoughts, I reach for the doorknob and slowly open the door.

* * *

(Rin's POV)

The door opens, and I look up. Len peeks around the corner, his eyes bright with curiosity. I beckon him over to the bed, and he enters, closing the door behind him. He walks over to the bed and sits down cross-legged, placing a pile of crumpled papers beside him. He holds onto my card, though, and places it upon his legs.

"Here," I say, handing him his present for me. He takes it and then watches as I pull mine for him out from behind my back.

"That was quite complex," Len says quietly. I nod.

"I wanted it to be fun." I smile. "It was fun to hear of your progress, though, and all the mistakes you made. Like going to the toolshed instead of the treehouse? Hilarious!"

Len blushes. "How do you know about that?"

I smirk. "You didn't wonder why there were a few more people in the living room every time you went through it?" I ask. "And why you sometimes noticed people leaving from whatever obscure place I sent you to?"

Len stares at me blankly for a moment, and then frowns. "You sent people to spy on me?"

"Not to _spy, _to _report_. To me."

"Even so…"

"Oh, c'mon, Len! I needed to know where you were so I could know when to hang the card on the door. Didn't you notice it wasn't there when you came up to search Kaito's room and Miki's room?"

"Actually, I didn't."

I sigh. Then I smile. "Well, did you have fun at least?"

"Yeah," Len admits. "Though it would have been nice if Kaito could've helped me. He's good at deciphering riddles." He hesitates. "And then I could've hung out with him."

"Don't worry, Len. You can dance with him at the party tonight."

"What party?"

I stick my tongue out at him. "You'll find out." I extend my left hand, which is holding Len's present. Len slowly extends his right arm at an angle so that they are overlapping, my present within it. Then we both grab the presents and open them at the same time.

Inside the small orange box is a silver brooch with a heart made out of an upside-down treble clef and a bass clef. Beside it is a small chocolate Kiss wrapped in orange paper. I grab it and open it. Chocolate and orange. My favourite.

I look up at Len, who is holding a chocolate and banana Kiss in his hand. Smiling, we both pop them into our mouths at the same time. Then both of us pull out the brooches.

"To think even on our 15th birthday, we still end up getting each other the same thing," Len smiles.

"I know," I agree. "It's pretty crazy."

"Now, that party you mentioned earlier…" Len presses.

I giggle. "Do you seriously not know about it?" Len shakes his head, so I continue. "Luka and everybody are setting it up right now. It's our 'surprise' birthday party that they've been planning since August."

"They can't have been planning it that long," Len argues. "What about everybody else's birthdays that fall between Miku's and ours?"

"Oh, they've been planned for awhile as well, but Gumi and Kaito had brilliant ideas for our party all the way back then, and so they decided to plan ours earlier."

"And how do you know all this?" Len demands.

I smirk. "Oh, remember that day awhile back when Luka was bedridden?"

Len nods.

"Well, there was a planning meeting that day, and Luka's the only person who knows Rei and Rui* aren't real."

"You…" Len shakes his head.

"Come on, Len, let's get ready!" I exclaim. I place my brooch back in the box and jump up, pulling him off the beaded towards the closet. "Let's get ready for the party!"

* * *

(Luka's POV)

Len and Rin descend the stairs and enter the party, a look of awe on Len's surprise, and a smug smile on Rin's. They're wearing party clothes, that look nice but are also comfortable. They are also wearing matching brooches, which must have been their birthday presents for each other. Rin is wearing hers upside-down, so that the treble clef, which is associated with her, is upright, and the bass clef, associated with Len, is upside-down.

Gumi and Kaito run over in their own dress clothes and place the crowns on their heads, Rin's a delicate little tiara and Len's a gilded crown embedded with sapphires. Gumi loops her arm through Rin's available arm, and Kaito wraps his arm around Len's waist and looks up at me.

My cue.

I raise the camera and take a snapshot. Then, after making sure it came out okay, turn and run to the office. I quickly print it off and put it in the back of the photo album, which is the present that everybody has prepared for them. Then I place it in the box and quickly tie the ribbons in place. Then, smoothing my dress, I accept Gakupo's arm and we reenter the ballroom.

"Present time!" Miki calls. Piko turns the music down a little, and IA and Yukari bring two gilded chairs from kitchen. Miku and Meiko follow with two stools, which are placed to the side of the chairs. Len and Rin sit in the chairs, and Gumi and Kaito sit on the stools. I approach and hand them the box.

Everybody begins to sing. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, Len and Rin, happy birthday to you!"

Everybody cheers as Len and Rin slowly begin to unwrap the present. They seem surprised that there's only one. But then they pull out the book, and slowly begin to flip through it, their eyes widening and their cheeks reddening. Then they reach the end, and look up.

"Do you like it?" I ask. Iroha and Miki lean forward in anticipation. Miki took most of the pictures, I went around collecting some from other people, and Iroha had put the book together. The three of us had worked really hard on it, and everybody had seemed relieved not to have to buy an individual present this year.

"Yes," Rin says smiling. Len nods in agreement.

"Thank you, everybody~!" they cry.

Then they look at each other, smiling, and whispered to each other, so quietly that hardly anybody heard, "This is the best birthday ever."

* * *

**All done. Happy birthday, Len and Rin, even though it's a day late!**

**I'm sorry I haven't updated any of my stories in awhile, but I'll try to soon!**

**~Katize Luka**

**BTW, the present from everybody was a photo album containing photos of the twins from all different phases of their lives.**

* * *

*Crazy Night is a reference to the series (Bad End Night, Crazy Night and Twilight Night) by Hitoshizuku-P.

*Synchronicitiy is a reference to the series (Looking for You in the Sky, Paradise of Light and Shadow and Requiem of a Spinning World) by Hitoshizuku-P.

*Circus is a reference to the producer Circus-P, who does not have a series long enough to have it's own room.

*Rei and Rui Kagene are fanloids based off of Len and Rin.


End file.
